Yeh, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Microchip or someone to come up with a proprietary version of one of their controllers, and sell it to different mfrs to make the control-boards for microwave ovens, brains for toasters or “smart fans”, and so on. So why not to control a flashlight? Could be 90% the same as a 16whatever49, but have different i/o addresses, memory-maps, etc. So it may not “drop in” as far as one of the standard available-to-the-public chips, but be close enough.
So a mfr might try porting over the functionality of Bisgotti, yet it wouldn’t be exact, as things might have to be “rearranged” somewhat, low-level routines rewritten from scratch, etc. So the mfr says, hey, it’s not the actual modified source-code (just adding a feature, changing length of a “medium-press”, etc.), but it’s our own “home-grown” lookalike version of it.
Most times when you see a controller with a house# only, or an actual number sanded off, it’s almost a sure sign they’re going for “proprietary”. So even if they would care about obeying copyright/-left laws and whatnot (yeah, yeah, stop laffing), they’d define their own line and dance around it but not cross over it. Or claim not to.
I had that saved in my wish list on there when it was in stock. I went back to buy it a week later, and it was out of stock. Boo. There aren’t any high output 15 mm drivers on the market right now, other than one-off jobs like Lexel makes. I hope Simon makes one.
I make them by transferring the components of a BLF-A6 driver to a 15mm board from Oshpark, with just the FET replaced by a smaller one. Works very well but it takes some DIY.
Sirstinky and flashlight modders alike would be happy if, for example, they could buy the newer ∅17mm SST-40 linears downsized into ∅15mm. Li-ion only, of course. Keeping sense voltage as low as possible would help with heat dissipation in the driver.
Input voltage for the high output driver is 4.2 volts. The AA/14500 driver is 1.2 to 4.2v. Thre output won’t be as high though. The driver I received that was not available was fet+1 li-ion only.
are You planning on releasing more flashlights with usb-c/magnetic charging bulit-in?
That’s a really great and handy feature I would love to see in all future Convoy flashlights.
Ohh that’s wonderful to hear.
I’d love to have simple, S21A type 21700 flashlight with built in usb-c.
Or something with a little bigger head and 3xLED.
That would be perfect all-around flashlight.
It is very good. I would like to know more details about this lamp. Which LED do you plan to use and the battery? My dream is S2+ with sst40 and rechargeability.
S21A S12 ,and S2+ all use the mechanical switch,
This will have a defect that the switch must be turned on during charging.
The design of FENIX UC35 2.0 is very good, but FENIX has patent restrictions. I think I can only change the mechanical switch to an electronic switch.
Right now messing with a couple ∅17mm SST40 biscotti clone drivers, for temperature protection removal and spring conductance enhacement, and I see these feature some sort of improved, wide top spring with flattened spiral ending:
They look to be gold :???: plated. What metal alloy are these made of? Some phosphor bronze? What IACS conductivity?
I am wondering if I should care to replace them. The driver spring backside pad diameter has a weird size, neither small nor big springs from BlueSwordM fit very right.
Is there a pad under the driver for a spring bypass? In that photo it looks a bit like the hole on TA drivers, but the other photos show components on the top side.
Small pad in the center skinny_tie, it can be clearly seen in the photo. The coil gap at the bottom of the spring has usually been my most successful place to stick an upwards coiled wire as bypass, I must say.
I don't see a problem zeremefico, the ∅17/22mm weird firmware ramping driver features somewhat better hardware and outputs close to 8A of current to the emitter(s) using just below 40mV sense voltage. What you observe is to be expected.
